Former Members
Alexi received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2015. Towards the end of her undergraduate career, she pursued an accelerated BSN program at Michigan State University and, soon after, began her PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Washington with a graduate certificate in Public Health Genetics.
Alongside her studies there, she worked on many projects related to cancer survivorship, cardio-oncology, and symptom science. She has also been supported by numerous NIH funded fellowships and grants from the National Institute of Nursing Research and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, as well as received funding from the American Cancer Society, American Nurses Foundation, and the Oncology Nursing Foundation.
Within the Hayek lab, she will continue her focus on cardio-oncology projects. Leveraging her strong interest in epidemiological methods, Alexi strives to improve the quality of life in cancer survivors by enhancing early prediction methods and developing evidence-based treatment guidelines through her research.
In her free time, Alexi enjoys cuddling with her cats, doing high intensity workouts, and reading. She loves to travel internationally and hopes to visit Amsterdam, UK, and Scotland very soon.
Dr. Vasbinder started her faculty position as Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, School of Nursing in the fall of 2023. Dr. Vasbinder and Dr. Hayek plan to collaborate on on-going and future projects!
Kingsley earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical laboratory science from Michigan State University. He is interested in basic science related to microbiology, human biology, and astrobiology and their applications to human health. Kingsley worked as a lab technician for two years.
In the fall of 2023, Kingsley left us to pursue a Master's degree in Biotechnology at Georgetown University. Best of luck, Kingsley you will be missed!
Honors Research Thesis Program Student
Program in Biology
Undergraduate student, class of 2024
Email: nelapudi@umich.edu
Moses grew up in North Muskegon, Michigan. She is pursuing a B.A. degree in both Molecular and Cellular Developmental Biology and Biophysics on the pre-med track at the University of Michigan. She joined the Hayek lab as a research assistant, and worked on the Disruption of the RAGE pathway in mouse models of atherosclerosis.
After college, she hopes to matriculate into a nursing or PA program. Moses is an EMT in-training, bioinformatics programmer, Undergraduate Department of Biology laboratory assistant, volunteer for the Michigan Medicine ECMO laboratory, and hospice caretaker. In her free time, Moses enjoys coding apps, eating, and hiking.
In her Senior year, Moses decided to focus on patient-care related work and stepped back from research. We expect to see great things in her future!
Alina Bardwell
Alina is a 2023 graduate of University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Alina previously worked in our lab as a research assistant in the Hayek lab, working on the Michigan Medicine COVID-19 Cohort (M2C2) study.
After graduating with her degree in Public Health, Alina continued on to accept a position as a Project Associate for John Snow, Inc (JSI) in Boston, MA. Her work will focus on supporting public health projects which collaborate with governmental research and policymakers. JSIs mission is to advance health outcomes for all.
We're so proud of you, best of luck Alina!
Danny has received not only his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, but also earned his medical degree, completed his Internal Medicine Residency, and is currently a Cardiology Fellow all at the University of Michigan!
Danny enjoys playing and watching sports (especially U of M!), golfing, travelling, and spending time with his wife, Jessica.
After receiving his undergraduate and medical degree from University of Michigan, and completing both his Residency and Cardiology Fellowship at Michigan Medicine, Danny has moved on to Trinity Health Michigan.
Mohamad Fardous
Mohamad was born and raised in Michigan, and currently is a senior at the University of Michigan. He is a Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience (BCN) major on the pre-medical track. He recently has become a member of the Hayek lab where he hopes to gain a lot of research experience and knowledge from all the other members and leaders of the team.
In his free time, Moe enjoys watching and playing sports, especially football, listening to music, and watching movies!
Moe worked with our lab on the Cardiovascular events during Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation project with Dr. Vasbinder. He has continued on in research while pursuing his Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience degree.
Nathan was born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where he graduated from Finlandia University in 2017 with a BS in Nursing. After graduating, he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he spent most of the past five years as a nurse in the Cardiothoracic ICU. Nathan is currently enrolled in the Premedical Postbaccalaureate program at the University of Michigan, meeting requirements to apply to medical school. He has always had an interest in research and is especially excited to learn and contribute to research applicable to the patient population he is most familiar with from his nursing experience.
In his free time Nathan enjoys spending his time in the outdoors including running, hiking, camping, and fly fishing.
After completing his postbaccalaureate program at the University of Michigan, Nathan accepted a position as a travelling nurse while studying for the MCAT.
We know you'll do awesome, Nathan!
Jiazi Chen
Jiazi is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan’s School of Literature, Science and the Arts exploring the pre-medical or pre-pharmacy track. She is majoring in Computer Science. Jiazi joined the Hayek Lab through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), where she jumped into research working with mouse models on potential therapeutics for atherosclerosis.
Jiazi was born in Florida, and grew up in China, Ohio, and New York City! In her free time, Jiazi enjoys hand-making stickers, reading, and playing Tetris.
In 2022, Jiazi discovered her passion for computer science, and she decided to focus her goals more towards exploring the field of Computer Science, and hopes to pursue a career in this field.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow
Frankel Cardiovascular Center Fellow
Case Western University Undergraduate student, class of 2023
Email: ginterfmginterfm@umich.edu
Maggie Ginter-Frankovitch grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she currently attends Case Western Reserve University, where she is a pre-med student with Medical Anthropology and Biology majors, and Public Health and Chemistry minors.
Maggie joined the Hayek Lab as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) student in 2022.
Outside of the lab, she volunteers for a refugee resettlement agency in Pittsburgh, teaches incarcerated youth and her college community about reproductive health, and sews and knits clothes for fun.
Maggie currently works in the Claesen Lab at the Cleveland Clinic Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences Department, which aims to characterize mechanisms of bacterial interactions in the gut microbiome and skin that may inform new antibacterial therapies. Maggie hopes to continue into medical school and potentially to become a surgeon.
Caroline is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan's School of Kinesiology, class of 2023 She is studying movement science on a pre-PA track. Caroline has worked as a research assistant for the Hayek Lab since the beginning of 2022. Caroline was born and raised in Michigan.
In her free time, Caroline is part of the Impact Dance club on campus, and she also enjoys spending time with friends and family and working out.
Caroline graduated from UM with her degree in Kinesiology in 2023, and continued on to work as a Patient Care Tech while applying to Physician Assistant programs.
Tariq worked with Teach for America in Chicago, teaching high school science for two years prior to starting medical school at The Ohio State University. After graduation, he completed Internal Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where he was Chief Resident.
He moved to the University of Michigan for his Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship in 2019, with a research and clinical interest in Cardio-Oncology. He spends his free time with his wife and son as well as enjoying tabletop games and video games.
Find Tariq's publications on ORCID or Google Scholar.
In 2022, Dr. Azam accepted an attending Cardiologist position at North Shore University in Chicago.
Husam grew up abroad in Qatar and moved to the United States to pursue higher education. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Biology with departmental honors from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2015. He received his MD from Michigan State University - College of Human Medicine, and then completed his residency in the Internal Medicine department at the University of Michigan. He hoped to pursue a fellowship in cardiology and has a strong passion for academic medicine and education.
In his free time, he enjoys travelling to new places, working out and spending time with his wife, Ayah. He loves to explore different foods but struggles with cooking - working on it!
Dr. Shadid accepting a Cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas at Houston MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2022.
Michael grew up in San Diego, California. He received his bachelor's degree in Neurobiology at University of California, Berkeley in 2012. He received his medical degree from Saint Louis University in 2019. He is currently a second year resident in the Internal Medicine program at University of Michigan. He plans on pursuing a fellowship in Cardiology after residency.
Whenever he has a chance, Michael enjoys traveling, practicing the piano (especially Chopin and Liszt!), learning Spanish and Chinese, and working out.
Michael completed his Internal Medicine Residency at University of Michigan and continues to assist the Hayek lab in completing manuscripts on several different projects.
Dr. Pan continued on to accept a Cardiology Fellowship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
Easheta is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences with a minor in Moral and Political Philosophy. With interests in both microbiology and journalism, she is passionate about reaching health populations through writing. She plans to attend graduate school after her time at Michigan, hoping to pursue a career in health policy.
In addition to working in the Hayek Lab, she is continuing her UROP research on COVID-19 bioinformatics with Dr. Yongqun He at Michigan Medicine Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics working to bridge the mechanistic gap between SARS-CoV-2 infection and Acute Kidney Injury via ontology modeling.
In her free time, Easheta enjoys working out, hiking, listening to music, and drinking copious amounts of coffee. She loves to explore national parks, and the park in Banff, Alberta is next on her list.
In 2022, Easheta realized her passion lay in epidemiology and her goals changed to focus more on the research than the reporting. Easheta continues to study public health and write for the Michigan Daily.
Born and raised in southeast Michigan, Chris received his bachelor's degree in biology from Eastern Michigan University. He then worked in the University of Michigan Central Biorepository, before moving to Chicago and working in the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine's Alzheimer's Laboratory. Chris enjoys observing and learning about the intricacies of cells and biological molecules, and how they can be advantageously used to improve clinical outcomes.
In his free time, Chris enjoys barbequing, mountain biking, reading, and watching the Wolverines, Eagles, and Lions football teams.
In 2022, Chris transitioned to a Study Coordinator role in the Schuler lab at the University of Michigan.
Matthew was with the Hayek lab as a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Michigan’s School of Literature, Science and the Arts, intending to major in neuroscience. He joined the Hayek Lab through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), where he completed his project on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cardiovascular Disease Complications.
Matthew enjoys being outside, going on hikes, and taking walks with his dog.
Matthew will graduate from the University of Michigan in the class of 2025 and hopes to become a physician.
Hanna was born and raised in Michigan. She earned her bachelors in science at the University of Michigan. She then worked as a medical assistant at a pediatrics office before attending medical school at the University of Michigan. She is enjoying learning the process of conducting large data collection projects and applying the results to clinical decision-making.
Outside of school, Hanna enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, doing yoga, and competing in triathlons.
In 2021, Hanna began her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. She hopes to pursue a career in academic medicine.
Peiyao received her Bachelor's degree in Statistics in Xi'an Jiaotong University in China in 2019. Peiyao joined the lab as a student in Biostatistics of Public Health in the University of Michigan. She was amazed by how biostatistics can help with human disease, and she is hoping to make her own contribution in the future.
Beyond biostatistics, Peiyao enjoys swimming, running, and hanging out with friends. She's also a fan of jazz music and drama.
In 2021, Paiyao began a research project in the Biostatistics Department of the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan.
Chris received his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013, and his medical degree from Columbia University in 2017. Chris joined the Hayek lab with hopes of continuing his training in academic cardiology, pursuing research in cardiac risk prediction, particularly in cancer patients, and research on outcomes in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Outside of work, Chris enjoys playing the cello (especially chamber music), travel, cooking, and skiing.
In 2020, Chris moved on to a Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, 2021
Undergraduate student, class of 2022
Iman is an undergraduate student at University of California, Los Angeles studying Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. At UCLA, she does research in microbiology and tutors K-12 students in the bay area. Iman joined the Hayek Lab as part of the FCVC SURF fellowship for the summer of 2021.
In her free time, Iman enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
After finishing her Bachelor's at UCLA, Iman plans on applying to medical school.
Under the supervision of Dr. Hayek, Rafey researched the use of suPAR among patients undergoing evaluation for coronary artery disease and how it may be used in conjunction with myocardial perfusion imaging to improve risk stratification. He also contributed to the development of a comprehensive COVID-19 database to elucidate outcomes of COVID-19-associated hospitalization across various patient groups.
After completing his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Michigan in 2021, Rafey started his Cardiology fellowship at University Hospitals/CRWU in Cleveland, hoping to pursue interventional cardiology and cardiac critical care. He plans to continue his interests in cardiovascular research with a focus on biomarkers and outcomes associated with coronary ischemia.
Chelsea was born and raised in West Michigan alongside Lake Michigan. She is a first-generation college student and began her higher education at a local community college. She then transitioned to Grand Valley State University to received her BS in Biomedical Sciences. She obtained her Medical Degree at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. While there, she gained a certificate in Leadership in Rural Medicine Physicians Program as she completed her training with additional education in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan along Lake Superior. She has a strong passion for academic medicine and research.
She worked with the Hayek lab while she was an Internal Medicine resident at the University of Michigan .
After completing her Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Michigan in 2022, Chelsea began her Cardiology fellowship at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, TX.
Kishan grew up in Sarasota, Florida. He received his dual BS/BA in Philosophy, Molecular Biology, and History and Philosophy of Science from University of Pittsburgh in 2015. He received his MD from University of Central Florida in 2019. He intends to pursue a cardiology fellowship and has a strong interest in medical education.
Kishan enjoys watching sports, reading, eating, and playing video games with his twin brother, Arjun.
After completing his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Michigan in 2021, Kishan started a fellowship in Colorado.
Jeff grew up in Saline, MI and attended the University of Michigan, receiving his BS in Neuroscience in 2013. He then attended the University of Toledo, where he completed his MD/PhD in 2019. He subsequently returned to the University of Michigan to begin his Internal Medicine residency.
In his free time, Jeff enjoys playing golf, watching sports and spending time with his family and friends.
After working with the Hayek Lab on clinical research through the COVID19 pandemic, Jeffrey decided to pursue his basic science interests at the University of Michigan. Jeffrey is planning on pursuing a fellowship in Cardiology.
Born and raised in Michigan, Bhavna received her bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Wayne State University in 2019, along with minors in Biological Sciences and Global Studies. In 2019, Bhavna enrolled in the University of Michigan Medical School. She is passionate about pursuing a career at the intersection of clinical medicine, public health, and health policy.
In her free time, Bhavna enjoys traveling, painting, and watching college football (Go Blue!) She also loves playing tennis and trying new restaurants (when there’s not an ongoing pandemic).
After completing her project with the Hayek Lab, and graduating medical school, Bhavna went on to Washington University to pursue a residency in Internal Medicine.